The Life and Ministry of Jesus

By: James Thomas Lee Jr

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

The title of this text is "The Life and Ministry of Jesus." But it is not just a story about Jesus' life. It is first of all a harmony of the gospels so that the reader can get a complete picture of His life. It is also a commentary on the gospel of John. What that means is that the twenty-one chapters of John's gospel are discussed. But in between those chapters are mixed in the different accounts by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So with all of that, one gets a good chronological sequence of events of the life of Jesus.

Also because John focused on showing the deity of Christ, one gets his unique slant on how the story of Jesus is told. But because the other gospels are used, too, one also gets some of the passages in the scriptures for when Jesus was growing up. John did not write about the birth of Jesus. But the other gospel writers did. He did not write about when Jesus, as a young boy, outwitted the religious leaders during one of His family's trips to Jerusalem. But the other gospel writers did.

So with this text, one gets to read all of those things, too. At the same time, though, the other gospel writers did not write about the eight "I am" statements made by Jesus. But John did. Jesus said that He is the bread of life. He said that He is the way, the truth, and the life. He said that He is the light of the world. He made those statements plus five more. The other gospel writers did not write about Jesus meeting with Nicodemus. But John did. The other gospel writers did not write about the woman at the well. But John did. The other gospel writers did not write about the four Passovers that occurred during Jesus' public ministry. But John did.

Those Passovers are important because they help scholars date the life of Jesus. The other gospel writers did not write about the woman caught in adultery. But John did. They did not write about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. But John did. So with this text, a person gets all of those different things, too. That means that the person who reads this text will get a complete and comprehensive look at the life of Jesus.

There is one note, however, to be made with respect to the organization of this text. Throughout its pages, charts have been provided to help put the events of the chapters into a pictorial representation for easier understanding. It is the idea that a picture can be worth a thousand words. Another thing that the reader might find useful are boxes that show the passages that are being referenced at the times and in the places where they are being referenced. That way, he or she will not have to jump all over the place or get into or out of the scriptures to locate a particular reference. Hopefully that inclusion will help the reader understand the various events.

In conclusion, the gospels are important to read and understand because they are part of the inspired Word of God. The Lord has given them to help people understand the life of Jesus. So for that reason, may He receive the praise, honor, and glory from this text that He truly deserves.